Rush to buy leaves many gun store shelves empty ahead of new law

Ed Stannard

Published 12:00 am, Tuesday, April 2, 2013

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Thomas Powers of Branford, left, shows his pistol permit to Mike Higgins, co-owner of TGS Outdoors on Main Street in Branford, Conn. as they start the required Federal and State of Connecticut paperwork before he purchases a handgun there Tuesday April 2, 2013. Photo by Peter Hvizdak / New Haven Register. less

Thomas Powers of Branford, left, shows his pistol permit to Mike Higgins, co-owner of TGS Outdoors on Main Street in Branford, Conn. as they start the required Federal and State of Connecticut paperwork before ... more

Photo: New Haven Register

Rush to buy leaves many gun store shelves empty ahead of new law

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Some Connecticut residents were heading to gun stores Tuesday to buy weapons and ammunition before the General Assembly passes what has been called the strictest gun control law in the country, but many may have been disappointed by empty shelves.

Gun dealers and customers were angry over the bipartisan bill announced Monday night, saying it won't do anything to stop people like Adam Lanza who are bent on mayhem.

"It's nonsense feel-good legislation that's not going to help," said Mike Higgins, co-owner of TGS Outdoors in Branford, as a steady line of customers entered the store, which he said has been busy since he opened Feb. 4.

"We've gotten calls today of people saying, 'Hold that, I'm on my way down,'" said Higgins.

One couple buying a Sig Sauer semi-automatic pistol said they would not have come to the Main Street store if it hadn't been for the announcement that ammunition magazines would be strictly limited in the new bill.

"Magazine restrictions is a big one," said John, who wouldn't give his last name. "Restrictions on particular types of firearms is another one and the fact that it's only regular law-abiding citizens" who are affected.

He bought the gun for Danielle, who also wouldn't give her last name, who said she feared she "wouldn't be able to buy the same kind of gun later."

Higgins and other gun dealers said, however, that they've been having trouble getting weapons, ammunition and magazines from distributors.

Nationwide, customers are buying up weaponry as fast as it can be delivered to stores.

"People are afraid they won't be able to get the ammo and they're afraid they won't be able to get the guns that they want, so they're heading to the retail outlets and they're draining the shelves," Durham said.

Semi-automatic AR-15s, the popular rifle that Lanza used in the Newtown shooting, are commonly back-ordered. The guns are popular because of their light weight and accuracy.

"We are short on everything," Higgins said. "It will come in in bits and pieces but it goes out. ... It's all allocated."

Higgins said the reasons people are buying the guns, magazines and ammunition -- fear that the government will limit their ability to own firearms or even confiscate them -- is unfortunate.

"I would rather see people coming in because they want to get back into skeet shooting. ... It's panic buying. I don't like that at all."

The limit on magazines holding more than 10 rounds rankled dealers. "How are you going to do it?" asked Tom Imperati, owner of The Hunter's Shop in Branford. "You going to put serial numbers on each one? Use an electric pencil? They're so stupid."

Higgins explained to a customer the implications of having to register magazines. "Here you are, you've been a law-abiding citizen your entire life." Now magazines must be registered and "If you miss one ... it's a Class D felony." Many gun owners own multiple magazines, he said.

Ernie Willhite of Connecticut Sporting Arms in North Branford said he has a real concern the government has "the goal of taking guns away from everybody."

That's because tightening restrictions won't solve the problem, he said.

"If you look at the track record ... the idea of registering and accounting for sales and paperwork" doesn't reduce crime, Willhite said. "What other reason would they have for wanting to know what I have in my home?"

John Longhi, owner of John's Firearms Ltd. in Torrington, echoed the sentiments of many gun enthusiasts who thought the state's legislators are looking at the wrong issue. "How stupid can they be?" he asked. "They're taking away our rights; that's basically what's going on."

As for sales, Longhi said, "It's been kind of weird because most of the stuff people want you can't get," such as semi-automatic rifles. Personally, he said, "I'm from the old school. I got into this business to sell to hunters and target shooters."

Traffic has been "steady," said the owner of the Woodbridge Firearms Trading Post, who would not give his name. "There has been a decline in business because of not being able to get products. ... Half of my store is empty."

The owner said he actually took a loss in March because "distributors haven't been sending me anything."

Chris Dogolo, owner of Chris' Indoor Shooting Range in Guilford, said "There's no product available in the whole country."

Hoffman's Gun Center and Indoor Range in Newington, however, was letting its customers know what was new in stock, posting on its Facebook page: "Just got in Stag AR 30 SHOT mags"; "just got in a batch of Stag Model 1, Stag Model 2, Stag Model 3, Stag Model 8T."